The man accused of kidnapping the 15-year-old girl from her home in the country's south just stumbled upon his victim, German prosecutors said on Monday, as rape charges were added to the investigation.

Chloe was found on Friday in the boot of a car in the German city of Offenburg, close to the French border, after her disappearance from her home in the village of Barjac in the Gard region sparked a nationwide hunt.

Relieved ... Violette and Jesus Rodriguez. Photo: AFP

The 32-year-old driver of the car was held by German police on suspicion of kidnapping and is facing extradition to France.

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At a press conference in Offenburg on Monday, local prosecutor Herwig Schaefer said the suspect had been driving in a stolen car in the village, searching for a victim, and came across the girl.

"By chance at that moment she was coming home, he saw her and decided to kidnap her," he said, adding that the suspect had provided very little other information to investigators.

Back with her family ... Violette Rodriguez hides her daughter Chloe. Photo: AFP

A French judicial source said that rape charges had been added to the case, though investigators have not confirmed the girl was sexually assaulted.